Unlimited Data plan and Mobile Hotspot?

@RitaGee12

Yes.  And there is nothing unfair about saying "unlimited on one device only".  

Att does not throttle unlimited plans.  After 22 GBs a line is reprioritized and a user MAY experience a slowdown in service.  Some users report occasional or no slow down well past 22 gbs. 

I'm telling you to pick a carrier that fits your needs because this policy is likely to never, ever change and there is nothing that any entity can do about it. The fact that I am an employee has nothing to do with anything here because I am speaking as another customer, which I happen to be. Regardless my advice to everyone remains the same....go with the carrier that fits your needs.

The reason I say this is because no matter how much dissent there is, tethering and unlimited is not going to change. Customers may in the future get 3 or 5 gigabytes for hotspot on this plan like Sprint does, but it will never be unlimited tethering. Unlimited data is not a replacement for wired, in home internet. If you need unlimited internet for computers and game consoles and such at home, you need DSL or cable internet.

@RitaGee12 What do those have to do with what we're talking about here?

Not tethering is clearly marked all over the place, so is reprioritization. 

@RitaGee12

Old news and those are not links.  

BTW the last one was a threat that didn't happen.   ATT was threatened for not adequately informing customers of the throttling policy and when they were close to the limit.  This is when ATT started sending text at 75% and 90%.  They also changed the method and threshold.

Shall we look at the hand slaps other carriers have received?   It's the FCC's job to police providers and they do so, usually impartially.

Did you know Sprint and T-mobile do not have FCC clearance to offer wifi calling?  ATT held off for months and tried to force the FCC to do their job.  It didn't happen.

What does this have to do WITH TETHERING? Not sure what bill cramming and fiber rollouts have to do with tethering? Dated 2016?

June 17, 2015: 1:25 PM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/17/technology/att-unlimited-dat-plan/

I'd check that again because it's 2015 when this new broke. Notice how the fine is because of notifications of throttling, not throttling itself. You see the FCC doesn't care if AT&T slows down unlimited data speeds, that's totally legal and something that is accepted. The fine was because the notifications were not ample and clear enough. So not sure what you're trying to accomplish with this weird puzzle of piecing together irrelevant issues...

Tethering is still not allow on unlimited data and it never will be. FCC, the FTC, NASA, Depertment of Agriculture, doesn't matter which agencies you quote and talk about, they can't do anything about that because they know it's overstepping their boundaries and interfering in a privately owned network they have no business telling how to set policies.

So it all comes down to voting with your wallet. None of us will be able to bend a carrier to our will. There is no forcing them to offer something that isn't there. If this is a dealbreaker, find a wireless provider that fits your needs. It's that simple. No one is telling you to leave in any kind of impolite manner, don't get my words twisted. I am advising you that if AT&T isn't able to fulfill something you need in a wireless provider then you have the choice to find one who can.

@David606 They do allow tethering on unlimited plans with automobile hotspots, right?

I don't know @David606, I went back and re-read that FCC ruling, it sure looks to me like they're saying, "if you're going to advertise unlimited, you have to get it", read the part about "Consumer deserve to get ... marketing practices ...".

I suppose this could (and is) being interpreted multiple ways, but the one thing that rings true, per @Gary L, is that this is about data speeds, not tethering (although I'm sure an attorney could run with some of marketing practice stuff, with regards to tethering too).

Yeah, the thing about AT&T trying to get the others in trouble for WiFi calling didn't sit well with me, but that just my $0.02.   It seemed like a "we're behind on this, how can we slow everyone else down, by looping in the FCC here to whistle-blow for us", but that's just my take on it (and a lot of trade rags too, just sayin'...).

Much of this is still left to interpretation, and I think (hope) there will be some changes coming, either from industry pressure, or regulation, either way, I think the consumer will be better off, in the longer-term.